


there is that joke you're bound to hear, a lawyer is a shark

by lullatone



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, M/M, i certainly think so!!, law student buck, on tumblr first but theres been some changes!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26604643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lullatone/pseuds/lullatone
Summary: Between Maddie and Chimneys inability to get along, and Buck's crush on Eddie Diaz, things aren't always easy at Grant-Nash Law Offices.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!! So you might've seen this on tumblr first, but I've decided to get it all in one place and post it properly here! Hopefully going to get up more chapters soon as well, so I hope you all enjoy!

Maddie’s fuming as she storms out of Chim’s office, files crinkling in her hands. She turns around as she crosses the threshold, shooting back an icy glare.

“You are an insufferable know it all Howie!”

“Well it takes one to know one!”

Maddie scoffs, turning on her heel and storming down the hall. She wishes she had taken the chance to slam the door in his smug face, but Athena was in today and the last thing Maddie needed was a chewing out from her. Josh emerges from the breakroom, meeting Maddie in the middle as she walks.

“So what was the argument about this time? Who has better opening statements or did he steal your stapler again?” Maddie gives her friend a side eyed look.

“Don’t you have a summation you should be writing?” 

Josh smiles, shrugging. “Why do that when I could listen to romance blossom and thrive?” 

Josh dodges Maddie’s whack with her weapon of choice, file folders, as he ducks and runs back down the hallway towards the other offices.

Maddie opens the door that separates the hallway and the waiting area, pleased to see her brother still hard at work at the front desk. 

“Grant-Nash Law Offices, this is Evan speaking.” 

Maddie leans onto the desk, fingers tapping idly as she waits for him to be done with the call. 

“-he isn’t in right now, but I can direct you to Athena Grant if you have any more questions. Great one moment.” Buck puts the phone back down and taps some buttons on the console, a buzz coming through the speaker as he waits for Athena to pick up. A click is heard and her warm voice makes Maddie smile.

_“Yes Buckaroo?”_

Buck flushes at the nickname, scratching at the back of his neck. 

“A call on line 2 for you Ms Grant.”

_“Thank you sweetheart. Keep up the good work.”_ The call ends and Maddie clicks her tongue at her brother.

“Wow she _really_ likes you. At least now she does. I’m not sure if that coffee you spilled on her ever came out of her Valentino dress.” Buck grimaces, adjusting his glasses.

“Listen, if we don’t mention it, it never happened, _okay_?”

Between classes and working at the firm, Buck was drawn a little thin. It’s not his fault that on his second day he was bringing in the morning coffee and ran right into Athena Grant, thus marking March 15th as the ‘Great Coffee Incident’. 

Buck had freaked and told Maddie he was going to lose his job, but Maddie assured him it wouldn’t happen. In the end, Buck kept his job, but it did take a few weeks to end back up in Athena’s good graces. 

The elevator behind them opens, Eddie emerging with coffee and a bag of pastries from their favorite place down the street. Maddie sighs, hands outstretched in waiting as Eddie rolls his eyes.

“Good afternoon Maddie.” He hands her the coffee. “ _Oh why good afternoon Eddie, thank you so much for this delicious coffee that you so graciously bought after your meeting with Hen’ ._ ” 

Maddie takes the drink, sipping greedily. “Oh don’t be dramatic.” She reaches up and ruffles Eddie’s hair. “But for real, thank you, I’m caffeine deprived and already had one fight with Chim, so I needed this.”

“Oh, I know you guys did, he already texted me,” says Eddie as he reaches into the pastry bag, pulling out a danish and handing it to Maddie. “You two have been at each other's throats this entire week.” Eddie takes a bite of a bear claw, mouth full as he continues. “You guys really just gotta bang already, it’d make everyone's lives easier.” 

Buck snorts, hand coming up to cover his mouth when Maddie sends him a glare. He turns his head, trying to find something interesting in his pile of sticky notes and pens.

Maddie can’t find anything to say, so she takes a ferocious bite of her danish, hoping that Eddie gets the message loud and clear. 

“I know Mads, I know. You’d _never_ date him, he’s so terrible, what an awful jerk.” Eddie puts the rest of his treat back into the bag, taking out one and putting it on top of the desk. “Listen, I don’t wanna admit we’re living in a rom com either, but someone’s gotta do it.” 

Eddie removes a coffee from the carrier, putting it next to the pastry. He nods at Buck, smiling. 

“These are for you. Coffee with cream and sugar and an apple fritter.” 

Buck blushes, blinking a few times as he looks between the gifts and Eddie’s soft smile. When he finally remembers what motor functions are, he reaches up, grabbing them. He sets them down next to his computer, trying not to look completely bashful as he instinctively tries to tuck non-existent hair behind his ears. A nervous habit from when he was a kid. 

“Thanks Eddie.” 

Eddie smiles back, winking as he heads off towards the offices. “No problem kid.”

When he’s through the door and no longer in the same room as them, Buck puts his head down on the desk, letting out a groan. 

“Maddie _whyyyy_? He’s so hot, it’s stupid.” 

Maddie reaches over the desk, patting her brother on the shoulder. “I know sweetie. How about you come out for drinks with us on Friday? A few of us go to O’Neils, have some cheap beer. You can sit next to Eddie and talk to him about his civil rights work.”

Buck lifts his head up, eyes sparkling at the thought. 

“Really? It wouldn’t be weird?” 

Maddie gives him an affectionate smile, smoothing a hand down his shoulder.

“Of course not. You may be my little brudder-” Buck shoots her a look. “-but you’re still one of us.”

The phone rings, and Buck picks up. He gives Maddie a little wave as he talks to the person on the other end, and she takes her cue to leave.

She grabs her coffee, heading through the door and back to her office. She passes Chimney’s on her way, and she’s glad the door is closed. Otherwise she might be tempted to go in there and try and prove herself right for what feels like the umpteenth time this month. 

It wasn’t _her_ fault he was stuck up and egotistical and hard working and funny when he wasn’t being a jerk, and maybe a _little_ cute and-

Maddie shakes her head, continuing past. 

Romance didn’t win court cases, and that’s something Maddie is very sure she’s correct about.

-

As Buck was promised, he follows the pack of lawyers to the bar on Friday after work, taking a seat right next to Eddie at the booth they managed to grab. Josh insisted it was _their_ booth, but Hen said there was no such thing. 

Eddie’s half dressed, his suit jacket off, sleeves rolled up and tie gone from around his neck. With his top buttons undone, Buck can see chest hair peeking through and he tries to look literally anywhere else as a server takes their order.

“A gin and tonic, one glass of moscato, an IPA and-” Eddie turns to Buck, eye’s sparkling in the blue light of the bar. “What about you kid?”

For the millionth time, _‘kid’_ sends Buck’s heart hammering against his chest, and he tries not to stutter out his reply. “An IPA sounds great.”

The waitress writes down their order, and is about to leave when Josh chimes in. 

“Oh! And a round of shots please! Vodka.” She nods, leaving the group alone.

Hen gives Josh a look, who simply shrugs, a smug look on his face. “It’s Friday Hen. I want to show Buck that we aren’t all stiff boring bookends who yell in courtrooms all day.” 

She frowns. “I don’t need shots to prove I’m not boring.” Josh opens his mouth in rebuttal when she holds up a hand. “ _However_. That does not mean that I am not in desperate need of alcohol after the day I’ve had.” 

Hen laughs, and undoes the buttons on her sleeves, rolling them up to match Eddie’s. 

They talk shop for a few minutes, Buck listening intently as Hen discusses her work in the district attorney's office. When their drinks finally arrive, they all toast to a successful work week, Buck enjoying the cold beer as he tries not to chug it.

When he sets it down, Josh is looking at him with his chin in his hand. 

“So Buck, tell us. What are you dying to know? What are your burning questions about a life of law?” 

Buck takes another quick sip as he thinks. He’s sure he has a million questions but with Eddie sitting next to him, he’s kind of having a hard time thinking. In fact, only one thing comes to mind, and he might as well ask while his sister is out of the room.

“What’s the deal with Chimney and my sister?”

-

When Chim walks into Maddie’s office, all the lights are off except for a small lamp in the corner, Maddie sitting at her desk, hands over her eyes.

Her legs are tucked underneath herself as she slowly breathes in and out. Chim’s seen this look before and when he sees the high heels tucked against the coat rack in the corner he knows he’s right.

“Headache?”

Maddie simply groans, nodding her head. “Is everyone gone? 

“Yep, ‘bout 20 minutes now. I told Eddie we’d meet him at O’Neils. Unless of course you don’t-”

Maddie holds up her free hand, and despite the scowl on her face, Chim suppresses a smile.

“I’m going. It’s just a headache, I’ll live.”

“ _I_ _don’t_ _know_ , this seems pretty dire. Do you need me to call 911?”

“Please Howie, I’ve got enough going on without you pestering me. Can you just bring me my shoes please?”

Despite knowing that Maddie can’t see him, Chim curtsies anyway.

“Of course your majesty.” 

He walks over, grabbing the heels from underneath the rack and bringing them back over in front of Maddie. Chim kneels down in front of her, and Maddie uncovers an eye, rubbing at her temples.

“What are you doing?”

Chim holds a shoe in his hand, motioning for her to stick her foot out. “Come on, let me do something nice for you.”

“Chim-”

“Like you could stand up and put these on right now. You can barely open your eyes.”

Maddie huffs, knowing he’s right, and untucks her feet from underneath herself. She sticks out a stocking covered foot in Chim’s direction, continuing to keep her eyes closed as she tries to get rid of her headache. 

Maddie expects a quip or a smart remark from her coworker, but instead his grip is gentle as he takes hold of her ankle, strong hands slipping her heel on with little trouble. 

Even through her stocking Maddie can feel the warmth of his hand on her skin, and she’s grateful that her face is covered by her hand, otherwise he might notice the flush on her face, even in the dimly lit room. Chim lets go, grabbing the other shoe and slipping it on just as easily. His thumb brushes tenderly against her ankle, and it’s a gesture so intimate that Maddie realizes she needs to break the tension in the room before either of them do something stupid.

“You really know how to make a girl feel special Mr. Han.”

Maddie’s sarcastic tone does the job, and Chim clicks his tongue and gets up from his position on the floor. Maddie can’t help but be a little disappointed he’s no longer touching her. 

He offers her a hand to help her out of her chair and she reluctantly takes it, allowing herself to be pulled up and off. She starts gathering her things while Chim grabs her coat off the rack for her, and there’s no intimacy this time, just him handing her the coat. 

Maddie almost wishes he would’ve offered to put that on for her too. 

Chim buttons his up, and Maddie takes the moment to admire how the blue peacoat compliments his features, how handsome he looks even in the dim lamplight. 

When he turns back to face her, his smile is his usual smug look, and that helps break Maddie out of her reverie. Chim gestures towards the door, letting Maddie leave first.

“Come on, the others are waiting. Let’s get you some scotch for that headache.”

-

They’ve only been at the bar an hour and a half, but Buck is well into his 4th beer and the group has already told him everything he needs to know about the past 3 years between Maddie and Chim. 

Their rivalry from starting at the same exact time at the firm, Chim’s broken engagement, his car accident, Maddie’s stubbornness, the time they got drunk and kissed at the office Christmas party. 

“They _what_?”

Josh laughs at the look on Buck’s face. “It was last year and we all have to pretend it didn’t happen. They got caught under some mistletoe and Maddie kissed him and then ran off.”

Eddie chimes in, his arm thrown over the back of the booth incredibly close to Buck’s shoulders. “I had to deal with _days_ of Chim denying it ever happened. That and him telling me Maddie’s hair smells like strawberries.”

That cracks the whole group up and to Buck’s disappointment, Maddie and Chim arrive right after.

-

Buck may be tipsy, but he also knows when someone is flirting with him. Eddie has shimmied very close to him, and at this point they’re completely closed off from the group, the others having moved to the bar. 

They’ve been chatting about nonsense, sports and childhood memories when Eddie gets quiet.

“Can I ask you something?” 

Buck’s brain short circuits as it runs through the thousands of questions Eddie could possibly ask, but nods anyway.

“How come you and your sister _just_ reconnected? I know about Doug but she left him almost 4 years ago now.”

Buck sighs, and he can’t help but deflate a little. He picks up his beer bottle, picking at the soggy label. It’s not that he doesn’t want to tell Eddie why, it’s just that it’s never been a fun story to tell. 

“We obviously lost touch when she got married to Doug. It was his fault, not ours. But I didn’t really understand that at the time, you know?” Buck spares a glance at Eddie who nods at him to keep going. “I came out when I went to college. My parents didn’t approve, so my only hope was Maddie. When she finally _was_ able to answer, I was angry. It took me a while to understand what happened and to get over my own feelings about it. Now I’m just happy that we’re together again.” 

Buck knows what comes next. The myriad of questions, the judging looks, the chasm of distance that always appears whenever Buck tells someone about what happened between him and his sister.

Except Eddie is different, and all he does is nod thoughtfully. 

“Well I am too. We’re all glad to have you here Ev.”

_Ev_. Buck’s heart thunders in his chest and, _‘we’re all glad to have you here’._

Buck removes his glasses for a moment, rubbing his tired eyes. “I noticed you didn’t comment on the ‘I’m not straight’ part.”

Eddie shrugs as he takes another sip of beer, but his gaze never leaves Buck’s face. 

“S’not important to me. I’m not straight either, so.” 

Oh. Buck’s blood feels like it’s on fire at this point as he allows himself another look at Eddie’s casual form. The chest hair, the strong arms, the broad shoulders that Buck would probably pay money to be wrapped up in. He licks his lips once before grabbing one of the leftover shots on the table and throwing it back. 

Buck puts his glasses back on and turns to Eddie.

“Can I kiss you?” 

Eddie’s eyes widen, and a small smile appears on his face, but he shakes his head.

“Kid, you’re drunk. You don’t have to be a lawyer to know why I can’t kiss you.”

“I’m not _drunk_ , I’m just tipsy.” 

Eddie sighs, setting down his now finished drink and pulling out his wallet. 

“Still, I can’t. Not the way you want to at least.” He throws some bills onto the table for the waiter and gets up out of the booth. “I’ve had a real nice time with you tonight. However, the last thing I should be doing is-” Eddie stops for a moment as he puts on his coat, searching for words as he buttons it up. Buck tilts his head in confusion, until Eddie just glances at the ceiling in exasperation, laughing just a little.

“Nevermind.” 

Eddie leans down, one hand on Buck’s cheek to keep him steady while he places a soft kiss to Buck’s cheek.

He’s gone before Buck can even react, a simple _“see you on Monday kid”_ left in his wake. 

Buck blinks a few times, reaching a hand up to his cheek. 

He’s trying to make sure he remembers every detail of the kiss when Maddie comes over, wine in hand.

“ _Sooo_ , how did talking with Eddie go?”

“It uh. It went.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heres the next bit that i already had done! some of it was on tumblr already, but theres new bits added as well! hope you enjoy!

Against both his will and better judgement, Buck does in fact spend the entire weekend thinking about Eddie Diaz. He thinks about fluffy hair as he writes his term paper. He dreams about strong arms and dreamy dark eyes while he has lunch with Maddie. Eddie invades his dreams all three nights, the kiss on the cheek playing on repeat behind his eyelids. 

He’s still fantasizing on Monday morning when Eddie walks in, coffees and bag of pastries in hand. He sets a steaming cup down on Buck’s desk, rummaging through the bag.

“Morning kid. Have a good weekend?” 

His words are innocent enough, but the look in his eyes implies that he knows _exactly_ how Buck’s weekend was. 

Buck tries to keep his cool, taking the coffee with clammy hands and setting it down next to his keyboard. “It was uh, nice. How about you?”

“Real nice actually. Spent it with my son and just enjoyed our time together.”

Buck takes a moment to sweep his hair back, his curls long and unruly. He gives Eddie one of his best smiles, hand on his chin.

“Well, hopefully we can keep the good mood going, right?” There’s some flirtatious fire behind his words, but Eddie just chuckles and shakes his head.

“I’m not so sure that’s possible.”

“Why?”

Eddie sighs, as his eyes glance towards the main offices. “Chim and Maddie got assigned a case together.” 

-

Athena assigns them the case as soon as they arrive Monday morning, and by 10AM the tension in the office could be cut with even the dullest of knives.

Everyone avoids Chimney and Maddie as the pair discover that they really _can_ disagree about anything and everything. Even Josh who usually thrives on their antics avoids them as much as possible. When Buck goes to deliver Chim’s mail he almost gets bowled over as Maddie storms out of his office. When Chim grabs the mail and slams the door, Buck doesn’t take it too personally. 

Hen swings by for a quick meeting with Athena, and by the time she’s made her way out, she can only give Buck a hearty, _“good luck”_ as an act of solidarity as she boards the elevator. 

Shortly after, Buck turns on the answering machine and heads over to the break room. He grabs the lunches he’d brought for him and his sister and makes his way to her office. He knocks on the door cautiously, food in hand along with a fresh cup of coffee.

“Not now Howie.”

Buck turns the nob ever so slightly. “It’s me Mads.”

He hears Maddie sigh in relief, and he opens the door to find a desk full of books and papers, Maddie’s hair twirled up and pinned behind her head. She takes one look at the food and sighs again, a tired smile on her face. She motions to the chair on the opposite side of her desk as she starts to make room.

“Have lunch with me?”

“Course.”

-

They shift the papers and books, laying down napkins and dividing the food between them both. Buck had been trying different vegan recipes lately and had prepared them vegetable bowls with tofu. When he hands Maddie hers, he also hands her a Hershey bar from the vending machine.

He knew his sister well. 

They eat in silence for a while before Buck spares a glance at his sister.

“ _Soooo_. How’s the case?” 

Maddie groans, leaning back in her chair. “Athena gave it to both of us because we have the skills for it. And she’s right of course, but I just wish-”

“-that Chim wasn’t so stubborn?”

“Yes exactly!” Maddie rubs a hand across her face. “He’s a great lawyer, but it’d be easier if-”

“-you also weren’t so stubborn?” 

Maddie sits upright in her chair, staring down her younger brother. “I’m _not_ stubborn.”

Buck sucks in a breath through his teeth, avoiding his sister's glare.

“Ya know what, that is _exactly_ what a stubborn person would say.”

Maddie bites the inside of her cheek, grabbing a file from her desk and plopping it into her lap.

“Not to be a total cliche, but I’m pleading the fifth.”

-

Buck’s packing up at the end of the day when the phone at his desk rings twice in quick succession, an in-office call. He answers, tapping the speaker button as he continues to pack his bag.

“Front desk.”

“Hey kid, can you come by my office?”

It’s Eddie’s voice through the speaker, and it makes Buck’s whole body go hot in an instant. He fumbles with the book in his hands, almost dropping it to the floor.

“U-uh yeah, of course. Be there in a minute!” Eddie disconnects the call without answering, which does even more to make Buck panicked.

Every nerve is on high alert as he heads towards the offices. He’d had quite a few fantasies over the weekend that started off this way. A late day request to come to Eddie’s office, followed by the locking of the door behind him so Eddie could wrap strong arms around Buck’s waist, pull him in close and kiss him like they only had today.

When Buck arrives the door is open, so he knocks gently on the frame.

“You needed me?”

Eddie looks up from his computer, handsome face breaking out into a smile when he sees Buck. 

“I did.” He reaches into the large bin on his desk, pulling out a stack of manilla envelopes. “I was wondering if you could drop these by the mail room before the end of the day.” 

Buck tries not to look too disappointed as he takes the mail from Eddie, reminding himself to lower his expectations. 

“Of course, no problem.” Their fingers brush when the mail is passed between them, and Buck can’t help but blush terribly hard. 

Eddie notices right away and his smirk only continues to fuel Buck’s imagination. 

His mind spins as the scene in front of him changes, Eddie standing up suddenly and taking the mail back from Buck, throwing it to the side of the room. He wraps an arm around Buck’s waist, dipping him and staring deep in his eyes.

_“Oh, Evan, allow me just one night to be with you, to show you how you deserve to be treated.”_

Buck practically swoons as the man holding him starts to lean down, eyes intense and lips-

“-kid are you okay?”

Buck falls out of his fantasy just as fast as he fell in, eyes blinking fast as he realizes he’s still standing in Eddie’s office, mail in hand. Real life Eddie is still sitting in his chair and is in fact _not_ promising Buck the night of his life. 

Buck laughs awkwardly, using his free hand to run a sweaty hand through his hair. 

“ _Me_ ? Yeah, I’m great, I’m _sooo_ great. Anyway, I think I hear my sister calling for me, so I should probably leave.” Buck backs out of the office quickly, doing everything he can to not run away. “Bye night, have a good Eddie!” 

As Buck speed walks down the hall, he’s decided that he’s going to forget he ever said that and that he’s grateful he didn’t have to see Eddie’s confused reaction. 

He also _really_ needed to find his sister. 

-

He’s still speeding down the hall, arms swinging as he passes by darkened conference rooms and locked offices. Maddie was his ride home (and his current roommate) so he always ended up staying well past closing hours with her and whoever else was pouring over law books and case files. 

He’s only a step or two away from her office when he hears a loud thundering crash, so loud and unexpected that it scares him enough to stop him dead in his tracks. It most certainly came from Maddie’s office, and she must’ve piled her desk too high or tripped on an extra pair of shoes or-

Or maybe it’s none of those things because as Buck is about to try the door handle he hears Chimney’s voice.

_“God I love it when you’re bossy.”_

Buck’s jaw drops because now the sounds are starting to make sense and yep that sounds like kissing, and he slowly lowers his hand, worried that just the act of doing so will make noise and alert them of his presence.

Maddie was making out in her office with Chimney, the very office Buck just had lunch in this afternoon, and part of him is excited because this means him and Josh won the office bet of when they’d finally get together. 

The other part of him is mortified at what he’s hearing and when he hears a moan that’s way too loud for his comfort level, his feet thankfully become unstuck and allow him to sneak off back down the hall. 

Once he’s out of earshot, he takes off running, practically skidding into Eddie’s office.

“Woah hey what’s wrong is everything-”

“Maddie and Chimney are making out in her office!”

Buck watches as Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, holding back laughter at Buck’s shocked expression.

“Well shit it’s about time.” He continues typing on his laptop, sparing Buck another glance. “Why do you look so horrified?”

“Listen, I went by her office because I wanted to go home and instead I had to listen to...to that!”

Eddie nods, leaning back in his chair. 

“And Maddie being here with Chim prevents you from going home because…” A sheepish look crosses Buck’s face, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

“I sorta...live with her. Plus I don’t have the keys to get in.” 

“Okay.” Eddie closes his laptop, standing up and beginning to gather his things. “Come over to my place then.” 

Buck almost faints.

“What?”

“My couch is a futon, and we’ve got the space. Plus my son's nanny, she makes the _best_ lasagna in the world, no joke.” He looks up from his bag, giving Buck a smile. “What did you think I’d let you sleep on the streets or something?”

Buck shifts from foot to foot, trying to will away his blush. 

“No uh, I guess not.” 

He stands in the doorway while Eddie finishes gathering his things, following him down the hall after he’s locked up for the night, coat over his arm. They stop by the front desk so Buck can grab his things, Eddie humming as he waits for the elevator.

It arrives in perfect time, Buck throwing his coat on as it opens up in front of them, the light from inside illuminating the empty space.

Eddie steps in, smiling at Buck. It’s the smile that wrecks him every time, and he can’t blame himself for the way his knees go a little weak.

“Well. Are you coming?”


End file.
